


May Nothing But Death Do Us Part

by itsS



Series: The Fire Prince and The Orphan [2]
Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, M/M, Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Wedding Fluff, Weddings
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-04-04
Updated: 2015-04-04
Packaged: 2018-03-21 04:09:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3676893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsS/pseuds/itsS
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bolin and Iroh's wedding. Happiness and Fluff are everywhere. Dancing also happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	May Nothing But Death Do Us Part

**Author's Note:**

> 1 year after The Fire Prince and The Orphan. Bolin is 19 and Iroh is 27. As I said, in this AU, Kuvira isn't a problem, and Korra recovers completely after the Red Lotus crisis. Basically everyone is happy and things are peaceful. Also, Ria is Iroh's sister. Title is from Uma Thurman by Fall Out Boy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bolin and Iroh get dressed and ready to walk down the aisle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will cover the ceremony and the reception.

Iroh pulled the comb through his jet-black hair for the hundredth time, absentmindedly.

“Oh, relax, Iroh,” Fire Lord Izumi sighed, “Your hair has been perfect for the past hour, and you can’t fool me. I can tell you’re nervous. Maybe talking about it would make you feel better.” Iroh’s mother wore a long scarlet gown coupled with golden earrings and her golden crown. Her own dark hair, barely lightened by age, hung in long, loose ringlets. Although she was almost sixty years old, she was still beautiful and dignified. Iroh stopped combing his hair but continued inspecting his reflection.

“I’m just a bit excited, that’s all,” Iroh replied. He was excited. He was about to be married to the man of his dreams. He hadn’t seen Bolin all day, because it was bad luck, but he was already starting to miss him. The thought of setting off on their honeymoon as soon as the wedding was over was the only thing helping Iroh wait patiently. 

“Iroh, I’m your mother,” Izumi pressed on, “I can tell this is more than just pre-wedding jitters.” Iroh sighed, looking a bit deflated.

“I just worry about how people will react to me marrying Bolin,” Iroh relented, “He’s not from the Fire Nation, let alone the face that he’s a man, or that the two of us won’t be able to have children. I have to marry Bolin, but the Fire Nation may not react well. I don’t know if I can put Bolin through that.” Izumi smiled, looking at Iroh wistfully.

“Son, as the Fire Lord, I would tell you to take the easy path – to not marry Bolin,” Izumi said frankly, “But I am your mother, and I have seen how happy the two of you are together. You should marry Bolin. It is the right choice. Besides, the people of the Fire Nation have had a full year to get used to the idea.”

“You really think it’ll be alright?” Iroh asked hopefully. Izumi nodded, placing her hands on Iroh’s shoulders. She kissed his forehead, smiling.

“You look incredibly handsome. I could never be more proud of you. Bolin is a lucky man,” she told him softly, “Your grandfather will be arriving soon. I’m sure he’ll have some advice for you, too.” Just then, the door of Iroh’s dressing room opened and a short, dark-haired girl – Iroh’s sister Ria – entered.

“This place is beautiful,” Ria said, looking around in wonder even inside the dressing room, “You can really see the influence of the Earth Kingdom architects who relocated here from the colonies during the Hundred Year War.” Iroh had asked Ria to pick the venue for the wedding, because she loved architecture as well as culture. It was just like her to show how much she cared by choosing the perfect place – the Ember Island Chateau. It was large enough to hold all of their wedding guests and incorporated elements of Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom architecture. Iroh couldn’t imagine a better place to marry Bolin. He’d toured the Chateau with Bolin before, of course, inspecting it to make sure it was a good choice. Bolin loved the large, high ceilings and columns of the chapel, while Iroh thought the stained glass windows were beautiful. Ria was delighted when she heard how much they liked her choice.

“I’m going to go wait for your grandfather,” Izumi said, no doubt hoping to avoid one of Ria’s classic lectures on the cultural blending of the Hundred Year War. Ria didn’t notice, heading straight for Iroh to hug him.

“I’m so excited that my big brother’s getting married!” she squealed, almost jumping up and down in delight. She was easily excitable, just like Bolin. The two of them had hit it off when Iroh had brought Bolin home for a week. They bonded over pranking other people. Iroh had slept with one eye open that whole week. Ria wore a light pink dress with pink lotuses woven through her hair. “You look so handsome!” she exclaimed. Iroh was dressed in a formal Fire Nation tuxedo, a black and red suit that was passed down from his grandfather. “I wish Dad was here to see you get married,” Ria said bittersweetly, finally releasing Iroh from her strong embrace.

“I wish he was here, too,” Iroh admitted, “Make sure you keep an eye on Mom; she might have a hard time without him.” Iroh and Ria’s father was killed during a volcanic eruption eight years ago, leaving their mother alone to rule the Fire Nation.

“I can’t wait for the ceremony,” Ria continued happily, “I want to see how you blended Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom marriage traditions, and how you adapted them because you’re both men.” Iroh smiled. Ria had to be the only person who’d analyze the cultural background of the wedding instead of getting all emotional over her brother getting married.

A quiet knock on the door announced Izumi’s return. She walked into the room leading Lord Zuko, who was as royal and dignified as ever.

“Iroh,” Zuko greeted, pulling his grandson into an embrace, “I’m so proud of you.” He patted Iroh’s shoulder, smiling. “Your mother told me about this anxiety you’ve been having. Perhaps I can offer some advice.” Iroh nodded gratefully while Ria gave him a confused look. “I know you’re concerned about how the Fire Nation will react to you marrying Bolin, but you don’t need to be. When I became the Fire Lord, I ended the Hundred Year War. I’m sure you can imagine that it wasn’t the most popular decision. There will always be those who oppose you, but if you lead with honor, the Fire Nation will follow you. You are a good man, Iroh. The Fire Nation is lucky to have you.”

“Thank you, Grandfather,” Iroh answered quietly. Ria swept Iroh into an embrace again, whispering “You’re going to do great.” Iroh breathed a sigh of relief, starting to feel a little more optimistic about the future.

Another knock on the door made Ria release Iroh. Asami poked her head into the room, looking around at the small family sheepishly, as if she could tell that she had interrupted a private moment. “We’re ready to begin whenever you’d like to start, Iroh,” Asami reported before closing the door slowly.

“We’d better not keep them waiting,” Ria said, leading Lord Zuko out to the chapel. Izumi offered Iroh her arm, and he took it, letting her lead him out to the chapel and down the aisle.  
Outside, Iroh waved to the crowd that filled the chapel. As he and his mother made their way to the altar, which stood beneath a large stained glass window, Iroh was struck by the beauty of the chapel they'd picked out. When Iroh got to the altar, the soft golden sunlight surrounded him and bathed him in a warm, welcoming light. He turned to the crowd, waiting for Bolin. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Bolin had been so excited that he had literally jumped up and down out of joy. Mako, who had just finished styling Bolin’s hair for the wedding, groaned in frustration. 

“I know you’re excited, but try to keep it contained,” Mako advised, “The ceremony is going to be almost two hours long. You won’t be able to jump around while you’re up on the altar in front of all our friends and family.”

“I know, that’s why I have to get it all out now,” Bolin replied, twirling around with a gleeful laugh. He tripped on the leg of an expensive-looking red couch and fell to the ground with a loud crash. Mako shook his head, but he couldn’t help but crack a smile at his baby brother’s antics. The door opened slowly as Korra peeked in, looking worried.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, “I heard a crash.” Bolin popped up from the floor, smoothing his tuxedo and turning to inspect his hair in the mirror.

“It’s just Bolin being his usual self,” Mako answered. Korra grinned, stepping inside. Mako turned to examine how hard it would be to fix Bolin’s hair, which was completely messed up.

“I can fix that for you,” Korra offered. Mako stepped back while Bolin was hit with a gust of air as Korra began airbending at him. While Korra fixed Bolin’s hair, Asami stepped into the room quietly, sitting down on the couch Bolin had tripped on earlier. When Korra finished, Bolin’s hair was perfect, if a bit windblown. 

“So, I’m guessing you’re excited to be marrying Iroh?” Asami asked.

“Oh yeah! I can’t even imagine being without him. I can’t wait until we’re married,” Bolin answered ecstatically, “I’m so excited!” Korra smiled, happy for her friend.

“What about you, Mako?” Asami continued, “Are you happy to be walking your brother down the aisle?”

“I had my reservations, but if Bolin’s happy, I’m happy,” Mako answered, “I just wish my baby brother wasn’t getting married before me.” Mako punched Bolin lightly on the air, smiling proudly.

“Sure, just because you’re a ladies man, you thought you’d get married first,” Bolin teased.

“In my defense, you got lucky,” Mako protested, “Not everyone meets the love of their life when they’re sixteen years old.” Bolin shrugged, nodding.

“I did get pretty lucky,” Bolin agreed, “The past three years have been amazing, both with Iroh and with you guys.”

“I glad we’re bringing him into the family, then,” Mako said, hugging his brother affectionately.

“It’s a good thing you came around to the idea of bringing Iroh into your family, Mako,” Korra pointed out. Bolin nodded in agreement, halfway releasing Mako from his embrace.

“You guys are family too,” Bolin said, pulling Korra and Asami into the hug, “Team Avatar is always going to be together, because we’re all family.” They all shared a smile for a quiet moment, but Bolin didn’t release anyone from the group hug.

“Uh, Bolin? The ceremony’s about to start,” Asami reminded. Bolin reluctantly pulled out of the group hug and smoothed his jacket once again. Asami and Korra left to find place on the altar, while Mako offered his arm to Bolin.

“Ready?” Mako asked. Bolin nodded his assent, too excited to speak, and let the barely-contained smile break across his face.  
Outside, Bolin saw the crowd full of his family and friends rise for a standing ovation, but when he caught sight of Iroh looking stunningly gorgeous in a red-and-black tuxedo at the end of the aisle, the crowd melted into a mass of indistinguishable faces. Bolin’s heart skipped a beat or two as Iroh’s amber eyes met his, sparkling with the same intensity and passion they always had. Mako led him down the aisle in a daze, but every step felt like an eternity. It was all Bolin could do to not sprint down the aisle as fast as he could. He was dimly aware of Iroh’s mother, sister, and grandfather standing next to Iroh looking proud, and of Asami and Korra waiting on Bolin’s side. Pabu, who had been freshly bathed and somehow coaxed into a tiny tuxedo, scampered across the floor before jumping up to perch on Asami’s shoulder. She looked surprised, but was able to contain her gasp. As Bolin got acclimated to the shock of seeing Iroh at the end of the aisle, he was able to make out some of the faces in the crowd. Tenzin was already crying, with Pema beside him smiling. Bumi was grinning from ear to ear. Su Beifong openly wept out of joy while Lin tried her best to conceal her tears. Even Mako, as Bolin could see from the corner of his eye, was beginning to tear up.  
When they reached the foot of the altar, Bolin couldn’t help but look down to make sure he wouldn’t trip. Mako kept his arm stable to help Bolin climb the steps. Bolin’s heart started to beat faster and faster, and time slowed even further. He raised his eyes to meet Iroh’s again and began to move up the stairs faster. When he finally reached the top of the steps, Mako let go of his arm and moved off to the side to stand with Korra and Asami. Bolin turned to face Iroh and the minister stood framed between them. Iroh extended his hands and Bolin took them, grasping them like lifelines. He felt the same electricity between them that he’d felt the first time they kissed. Bolin locked eyes with Iroh and let loose the most joyful smile to ever cross his face. Iroh returned the smile, his amber eyes alight with ecstasy. The minister started speaking, but neither Bolin nor Iroh acknowledged him. As far as they were concerned, they were already soulmates.

**Author's Note:**

> Leave a comment! Check my tumblr (heyy-its-k.tumblr.com) for updates/headcanons/etc. (Also, if you were hoping for smut I'll be writing two or three honeymoon fics as part of this series)


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